lundi 3 mars 2008

Deprivation and segregation still rampant in French society, sky is blue...

To highlight to brilliant success of M. Sarkozy's regeneration of the suburbs of France and the integration of the roughly 10 percent of the country who are of African (North and sub-Saharan) descent, youths vandalised a bakery in a northerly Île de la France region centred on Paris and subsequently attacked the police who responded with lead bullets and molatov cocktails. The violence should indeed be denounced, but the sentiment... not at all.

The plight of second and third generation French Arabs and Africans is a blight on France and its political reputation, as it should be. Though the tensions have only arisen since the mass (and government encouraged) migration of French citizens from the colonies, whatever their ethnic origins, the French government should indeed be embarrassed about its consistent ignoring of thing problem of social deprivation, with large swaths of the minority population trapped in the very concrete estates that some of their parents were brought over to build, impoverished, and finding themselves on the outside of the prosperous French society which surrounds them. Both Successive Socialist and right wing governments have neglected this problem of social deprivation and should be lauded for their behaviour.

The question is: «What is the solution?». Employment programs, the complete banning of Post Codes and names on official and commercial applications, a redesign of the banlieues, investment programs for new businesses, more social aide, cultural activity and educational institutions? Probably all of those would help alleviate some of the expressions of the problems in France, however only a true transformation of society will solve the problems of the nation. Those of Metropolitan descent must stop seeing those of colour as foreigners, the state and commercial sectors must stop seeing minority populations as a crying infant that must be pacified. White workers should no longer see minorities as competition, both are fighting for their rights against the capitalists who are trying to dismantle that which the French working class has built over the past century. The working class should unite against those that keep them in deprivation, who are attacking them daily: the business and the UMP-controlled state which is trying to take away all which has been won: that is the problem.

Social deprivation is a symptom of a society that is not functioning correctly, because France has the means of production to allow for the common well being of all its citizens. It will not be until a more fair, a more free, a socialist arrangement has been struck, with the doors closed to the influence of big business and the ruling elite. That is when the suburbs of Paris will be at peace with themselves, that is when the nation will be at peace with itself.

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par Abdul-Rahim à 08:34

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